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Singletary faces the tough task of producing wins

Published 4:00 am, Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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Mike Singletary was named interim head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the remainder of the season at the press conference at 49er headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, 2008.

Mike Singletary was named interim head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the remainder of the season at the press conference at 49er headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, 2008.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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Mike Singletary was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the remainder of the season at a press conference at the team's headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, 2008.

Mike Singletary was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the remainder of the season at a press conference at the team's headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, 2008.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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Jed York (right) and Mike Singletary during a press conference that named Mike Singletary (left) the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season.

Jed York (right) and Mike Singletary during a press conference that named Mike Singletary (left) the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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General manager of the San Francisco 49ers Scot McCloughan introduces Mike Singletary during a press conference at the 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara.

General manager of the San Francisco 49ers Scot McCloughan introduces Mike Singletary during a press conference at the 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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VP of the San Francisco 49ers Jed York named Mike Singletary the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season during a press conference on Tuesday October 21, 2008.

VP of the San Francisco 49ers Jed York named Mike Singletary the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season during a press conference on Tuesday October 21, 2008.

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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49ers coach Mike Nolan, right, walks on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. At left is assistant coach Mike Singletary.

49ers coach Mike Nolan, right, walks on the sidelines in the fourth quarter against the New England Patriots in San Francisco, Sunday, Oct. 5, 2008. At left is assistant coach Mike Singletary.

Photo: Jeff Chiu, AP

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San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Mike Singletary (left) has a close up chat with San Francisco 49ers Patrick Willis (52) prior to the game against the St Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome on 9/16/07 in St Louis, MO.Photo by Michael Maloney / San Francisco Chronicle***roster/code replacement less

San Francisco 49ers assistant coach Mike Singletary (left) has a close up chat with San Francisco 49ers Patrick Willis (52) prior to the game against the St Louis Rams at Edward Jones Dome on 9/16/07 in St ... more

Photo: Michael Maloney, The Chronicle

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San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan(left) and assistant coach Mike Singletary have a talk with San Francisco 49ers Jeff Ulbrich (53) during the 2nd quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, December 15, 2007. The 49ers won 20-13. less

San Francisco 49ers head coach Mike Nolan(left) and assistant coach Mike Singletary have a talk with San Francisco 49ers Jeff Ulbrich (53) during the 2nd quarter of the game against the Cincinnati Bengals on ... more

New San Francisco 49ers assistant head coach and linebackers coach Mike Singletary, right, speaks as new head coach Mike Nolan, left, listens at a news conference at 49ers headquarters in Santa Clara, Calif., ... more

Photo: Paul Sakuma, AP

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Football Hall of Fame honorees pose by their bronze busts on August 1, 1998 in Canton, OH after being inducted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. From L are: Tommy McDonald, Anthony Munoz, Paul Krause, Mike Singletary, and Dwight Stephenson. less

Football Hall of Fame honorees pose by their bronze busts on August 1, 1998 in Canton, OH after being inducted into the Pro-Football Hall of Fame. From L are: Tommy McDonald, Anthony Munoz, Paul Krause, Mike ... more

Photo: Anthony Onchak, AFP / Getty Images

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Linebacker Mike Singletary of the Chicago Bears looks on during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on September 10, 1989. The Bears won the game, 17-14.

Linebacker Mike Singletary of the Chicago Bears looks on during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois on September 10, 1989. The Bears won the game, 17-14.

Photo: Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

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Mike Singletary was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season which was announced at the press conference at the 49er headquarter, San Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, 2008.Mike Singletary was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season which was announced at the press conference at the 49er headquarter, San Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, 2008. less

Mike Singletary was named head coach of the San Francisco 49ers for the reminder of the season which was announced at the press conference at the 49er headquarter, San Clara, Calif., on Tuesday October 21, ... more

Photo: Frederic Larson, The Chronicle

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Among the many comments he made on his first full day as head coach of the 49ers, Mike Singletary said, "I'm not looking at re-inventing the wheel."

Instead, Singletary's efforts should be devoted to removing that Denver boot clamped around the wheel of the vehicle that is the 49ers.

Introduced Tuesday as the 16th head coach in franchise history, succeeding the fired Mike Nolan, Singletary will be given an opportunity in the final nine games of 2008 to show why he should be considered a strong candidate for the job in 2009. He is the third interim coach named in the NFL this season and the 19th since 1990.

"If I didn't think I was going to keep the job, I wouldn't have taken it," Singletary said. "It's not very often you have an opportunity to be a head coach in this league, as I have learned. ... I am more than ready at this point."

Singletary, 50, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, has been with the 49ers since 2005 as linebackers coach and assistant head coach. This is his first head-coaching assignment, a challenging one considering the 49ers are 2-5 and losers of four straight games.

Singletary is the 11th Pro Football Hall of Fame player to become a head coach in the NFL and only the second defensive Hall of Famer. The only other defensive Hall of Fame player to be a head coach in the league was former Detroit Lions coach Joe Schmidt, a linebacker in his playing days.

Singletary's mission will be to inspire a group of under-performing players and try to reverse a culture of losing that dates to 2003. As an inspirational speaker before he embarked on a coaching career in 2003, Singletary should have no trouble stirring the passions of his players for the game.

The new head coach met with his players Tuesday morning, normally their off day, to introduce himself as the boss - one the York ownership troika hopes is not the same as the old boss.

At the least, Singletary has a presence and commands respect based on his Hall of Fame career as a linebacker for the Chicago Bears who famously played with wide-eyed intensity.

"I warned them to be ready for the challenge ahead because I will challenge you to your very core," he said. "I told them that I'm excited and proud to be their head coach and that the expectations will be high. I expect them to go to the next level. ... We do have something special here."

As a head coach from a defensive background, Singletary will leave offensive coordinator Mike Martz alone except to stress the importance for fumble-prone quarterback J.T. O'Sullivan to be more careful with the ball. Singletary said he did not plan to make any changes in personnel.

Defense will be Singletary's biggest challenge with the 49ers the rest of the season. Expected to be a strength of the team, San Francisco's defense instead has been disappointing for its lack of a pass rush, its inability to get off the field on third down and its consistent shortcomings in pass coverage.

The 49ers are 23rd in the league in total defense, 23rd against the run and 18th against the pass. They are also 22nd in third-down defense, a telling statistic.

When it was suggested the 49ers are passive on defense, Singletary said, "I think (defensive coordinator) Greg Manusky and the defensive staff have done a good job up to this point. Watch the next few weeks and see if we continue to be passive. I don't think so. We're going to play and we're going to be bold."

For Singletary to have a shot at being considered for the head-coaching position next season, he will have to have a strong showing in the final nine games of the season. A 2-5 start, four straight losses, a fourth-quarter collapse against Philadelphia and a 3 1/2-year record of 18-37 cost Nolan his job.

"Sitting at 2-5, it's just not the results that we want," general manager Scot McCloughan said. "If we had the answer, coach (Mike) Nolan would still be here. I believe in these players. I believe in these coaches. It falls on one guy's shoulders and that's the head coach. Again, it's not completely his fault. I'm looking forward to a team that expects to win games."

Most tellingly, McCloughan said, "When you get to the fourth quarter and you have a lead, you win that game, especially at home."

That was a reference to the Philadelphia game on Oct. 12, which the 49ers led 26-17 going into the fourth quarter and lost 40-26.

Jed York, the 27-year-old son of owners John and Denise York, represented his parents at Tuesday's news conference.

"We have talent," Jed York said. "There's no question we have talent. What we're lacking is that killer instinct, the ability to finish. That's what Mike Singletary is going to bring. You feel his presence when he speaks. I think you're going to see our players perform."

In the midst of optimism from team management, the agent for Singletary (as well as Nolan) said interim coaches in the NFL usually do not fare well.

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"The history of people who take over on an interim basis is terrible," agent Bob LaMonte said. "The bar is not high. The reality is it's usually awful. If you can win more than you lose, you should be up for coach of the year."

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